The HeartGold SoulSilver era of Pokémon cards interests me because one illustrator would cover an entire evolution line rather than several different artists. For example, the Sneasel and Weavile illustrations for Undaunted were illustrated by Aya Kusube. The HeartGold SoulSilver era also featured evolved Pokémon drawn with their evolution item. The Weavile card is drawn with its evolution item, the Razor Claw. The evolution item appears on the left side of the Weavile art.
Anyone who knows vintage cards will recognize that the Sneasel art is based on the Neo Genesis Sneasel. The Kusube version improved on the original because the background art matches the art style of the Pokémon. I am not a big fan of Ken Sugimori Pokémon Cards because the cards often feature the official art slapped against a random background. However, the Neo Genesis Sneasel always stood out to me because the background is a cool mix of purples and blacks and gives me the impression that Sneasel is standing in a dark swampy forest, which matches the Pokémon well. The sun shining in the back does not match Sneasel’s dark presence. Kusube changing the background to a night sky better matches Sneasel.
